Save 3% at the Home Depot (and have your items pulled for pickup)
If you are planning on going to the Home Depot this weekend to pickup some home improvement supplies for your next project, stop and read this post before stepping foot out the door!
Since we here at Design Inside make trips to Home Depot almost 3 times a week, we have spent a lot of time searching the endless aisles for a certain lamp or caulk. In order to save some time and money (and our customers on design hours) you can use this guide to save 3% and have the Home Depot crew pull the items for you for pickup.
Here is how you do it.
1
Sign up for an Ebates account. It’s easy, takes only a few seconds and will earn you some easy cash at Home Depot and many other stores. What’s not to love about that?
2Clear your browser history, this ensures that you get the full 3% rebate. If you are not sure how to do this, search on YouTube for some videos to show you how to clear your browser history. This is a critical step, so make sure you do this every time you buy something.
3
Search for Home Depot on the Ebates site and click on the Shop Now or one of the coupon links. This will take you to the Home Depot website and will enable a “Tracking Ticket” that will ensure you get your cash back credit on your purchase.
4
Check that your tracking ticket has worked properly by going back to your Ebates site and click on My Accounts > Tracking Ticket. Once you are on this page, you will have to click the drop-down arrow for the current month, then you should see a line item for the store (Home Depot in this case), a tracking ticket and the date/time. If you do not see this tracking ticket, repeat steps 2 and 3.
5
Now you can start shopping for your items. The key trick to getting the items pulled for you is to change your store location and only purchase items that are available for Store Pickup. To change your store, click on the “Change Location” at the top of the Home Depot page and select the store nearest to you. In Chicago, we are big fans of the North Avenue Store (#1912) because of their extended hours, free parking and quick access from the freeway.
6
When searching for your items, click the “Pick Up In-Store” button.
7When using coupon codes from sites like RetailMeNot, be very careful. If you click on their links to “copy the coupon code”, this will drop a new Cookie on your computer and give them the credit for the sale instead of allowing you to get the Ebates credit. Typically, you can still type in the actual coupon code and get the discount, just make sure you DO NOT click on any other links from coupon sites.
8Checkout and pay with your favorite credit card. If you have a Home Depot credit card, you may be able to save more money.
9In about an hour or so, you should receive an email or text message from Home Depot stating that your order is ready for pickup. We recommend playing a round of Angry Birds or look at some of our past projects to pass the time while waiting for the notification.
10When you go into the store, head straight for the customer service desk (typically where you get your keys made) and tell them that your order is ready for pickup. They will ask for your order number and name and give you your order. We have used this service for picking up a single light switch and for picking up a large order of drywall, drywall mud, and about 30 other items. Some locations will even help you load the order up in your car!
I hope you found this guide helpful and that you can use it for your next home renovation project.
